Saint Gayane belongs to the great period of Armenian church building in the seventh century, and it has come down to us with its proportions essentially intact. The plan is a domed basilica: a rectangular volume in cut stone, four free-standing piers, a central dome on a drum, and an interior of remarkable calm in which structure alone provides the decoration. The church stands at Vagharshapat, better known as Echmiadzin, beside the mother cathedral of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It is dedicated to Gayane, an abbess venerated as a martyr in the tradition surrounding the conversion of Armenia, and it was raised over the place associated with her burial; her tomb lies beneath the sanctuary. Its sobriety is exactly what makes it important. Where later Armenian architecture multiplies ornament, Saint Gayane relies on wall surface, proportion and the fall of light through narrow openings. The church is inscribed on the World Heritage List within the ensemble of the cathedral and churches of Echmiadzin. Filmed in 4K, with careful interior lighting and aerial views of the ensemble, the programme suits strands on sacred sites, early Christian architecture and the Caucasus.
